diff --git a/.github/workflows/CI_TESTING.md b/.github/workflows/CI_TESTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d9b581ce1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/CI_TESTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# Testing the CI Workflow
+
+This document provides instructions for testing the new GitHub Actions CI workflow after migration from Azure Pipelines.
+
+## Quick Test
+
+To test the workflow:
+
+1. **Push a branch or create a PR**: The workflow automatically triggers on all branches
+2. **View workflow runs**: Go to the "Actions" tab in GitHub
+3. **Monitor progress**: Click on a workflow run to see job details
+
+## Manual Trigger
+
+You can also manually trigger the workflow:
+
+1. Go to the "Actions" tab
+2. Select "CI" from the left sidebar
+3. Click "Run workflow"
+4. Choose your branch
+5. Click "Run workflow"
+
+## Local Validation
+
+Before pushing, you can validate the YAML syntax locally:
+
+```bash
+# Using yamllint (install with: pip install yamllint)
+yamllint .github/workflows/ci.yml
+
+# Using Python PyYAML
+python3 -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('.github/workflows/ci.yml'))"
+
+# Using actionlint (install from https://github.com/rhysd/actionlint)
+actionlint .github/workflows/ci.yml
+```
+
+## Job Matrix
+
+The CI workflow includes these job categories:
+
+### Linux Jobs
+- **linux-python-debug**: Python-based build with make (MT and ST variants)
+- **manylinux-python-amd64**: Python wheel build for manylinux AMD64
+- **manylinux-python-arm64**: Python wheel build for manylinux ARM64 (cross-compile)
+- **ubuntu-ocaml**: OCaml bindings build
+- **ubuntu-ocaml-static**: OCaml static library build
+- **ubuntu-cmake**: CMake builds with multiple compilers (4 variants)
+
+### macOS Jobs
+- **macos-python**: Python-based build with make
+- **macos-cmake**: CMake build with Julia support
+
+## Expected Runtime
+
+Approximate job durations:
+- Linux Python builds: 20-30 minutes
+- Manylinux Python builds: 15-25 minutes
+- OCaml builds: 25-35 minutes
+- CMake builds: 25-35 minutes each variant
+- macOS builds: 30-40 minutes
+
+Total workflow time (all jobs in parallel): ~40-60 minutes
+
+## Debugging Failed Jobs
+
+If a job fails:
+
+1. **Click on the failed job** to see the log
+2. **Expand failed steps** to see detailed output
+3. **Check for common issues**:
+   - Missing dependencies
+   - Test failures
+   - Build errors
+   - Timeout (increase timeout-minutes if needed)
+
+4. **Re-run failed jobs**:
+   - Click "Re-run failed jobs" button
+   - Or "Re-run all jobs" to test everything
+
+## Comparing with Azure Pipelines
+
+To compare results:
+
+1. Check the last successful Azure Pipelines run
+2. Compare job names and steps with the GitHub Actions workflow
+3. Verify all tests pass with similar coverage
+
+## Differences from Azure Pipelines
+
+1. **Checkout**: Explicit `actions/checkout@v4` step (was implicit)
+2. **Python Setup**: Explicit `actions/setup-python@v5` step (was implicit)
+3. **Template Files**: Inlined instead of external templates
+4. **Artifacts**: Uses `actions/upload-artifact` (if needed in future)
+5. **Caching**: Can add `actions/cache` for dependencies (optional optimization)
+
+## Adding Jobs or Modifying
+
+To add or modify jobs:
+
+1. Edit `.github/workflows/ci.yml`
+2. Follow the existing job structure
+3. Use matrix strategy for variants
+4. Add appropriate timeouts (default: 90 minutes)
+5. Test your changes on a branch first
+
+## Optimization Opportunities
+
+Future optimizations to consider:
+
+1. **Caching**: Add dependency caching (npm, pip, opam, etc.)
+2. **Artifacts**: Share build artifacts between jobs
+3. **Concurrency**: Add concurrency groups to cancel outdated runs
+4. **Selective Execution**: Skip jobs based on changed files
+5. **Self-hosted Runners**: For faster builds (if available)
+
+## Rollback Plan
+
+If the GitHub Actions workflow has issues:
+
+1. The original `azure-pipelines.yml` is still in the repository
+2. Azure Pipelines can be re-enabled if needed
+3. Both systems can run in parallel during transition
+
+## Support
+
+For issues or questions:
+
+1. Check GitHub Actions documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/actions
+2. Review the migration document: `.github/workflows/CI_MIGRATION.md`
+3. Check existing GitHub Actions workflows in `.github/workflows/`
+4. Open an issue in the repository